The Calgary Stampede has welcomed millions of people to Calgary for over a century and, since 1982, the BMO Centre at Stampede Park has been at the heart of the action. But, after more than 40 years of hosting special events, meetings and conventions, it was time for growth.
As such, in June 2020, the Calgary Stampede unveiled an ambitious BMO Centre Expansion project, which takes the facility to the next level and represents a new generation of convention facilities – one that celebrates and connects with its surroundings and the surrounding community.
Leading the design and construction delivery of the BMO Centre Expansion (on behalf of its partners at the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary) has been Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). CMLC is the master developer of Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District, overseeing the master planning and delivery of more than four million square feet of mixed-use development in downtown Calgary’s east end.
For the project, CMLC partnered with prime design consultants Stantec, Populous and S2, with construction management provided by PCL Construction and project management by M3 Development Management. RJC Engineers served as the structural engineering consultant.
With construction beginning in 2021 and doors opening in June 2024, the project was a $500 million investment in the expansion of the BMO Centre at Stampede Park, making it the largest convention centre in Western Canada. This expansion adds another 565,000 square feet to the facility, including more than 100,000 square feet of new exhibition space, 38 new meeting rooms and a dramatic central gathering space anchored by Canada’s largest indoor fireplace known as the Exchange. The project also featured two new ballrooms totalling 70,000 square feet – one of which, called the Champions Ballroom, boasts 50,000 square feet of flexible, column-free space.
“The building is constructed of 10,000 metric tonnes of steel, with the longest trusses spanning 180 feet in length and 19 feet in depth – equivalent to the dimensions of an Olympic swimming pool – enabling the remarkable column-free grand ballroom,” said Georgette McGrath-Jukic, director, building and infrastructure, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. “The expanded BMO Centre is fundamentally a different kind of convention centre that is second to none in terms of architecture, functionality and guest experience.”
A catalyst for growth
According to the Calgary Stampede, the initial project estimates from 2016 suggested that – post-construction – the expanded BMO Centre will generate significant economic impact for Calgary, Alberta and Canada. This includes an annual economic impact of:
- More than a quarter of a billion dollars to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the majority supporting Alberta’s GDP.
- Nearly 2,000 direct full-year jobs, of which three quarters will be retained in Calgary.
- More than 1,000 additional jobs supported by indirect and induced spending.
- This also translates to filling hotel rooms, restaurants, shops, rideshares and other attractions that make Calgary unique.
- The economic impact on Calgary will equate to upwards of $100 million a year.
Now the largest convention centre in Western Canada, the BMO Centre’s total rentable area offers more than one million square feet and a total occupancy of 33,000.
Strong foundations
“The soil conditions for the project were nearly ideal, with tremie install methods required for approximately seven per cent of the piles due to groundwater encountered at the base of the piles,” said Sean Terrill, superintendent at PCL Construction. “However, seeing as though the site is close to the nearby Elbow River, the water encountered was much less than expected.”
The initial geotechnical assessment was conducted using a conventional borehole and sample testing program. The results of this assessment led to the decision to proceed with rock socketed piles and, once that decision was made, RJC Engineers could focus on improving economy.
“The expanded BMO Centre is fundamentally a different kind of convention centre that is second to none in terms of architecture, functionality and guest experience.”
Georgette McGrath-Jukic, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
“One of the best ways to do that when you have a large quantity of piles is to do a full-scale test,” said Geoff Kallweit, associate at RJC Engineers. “By conducting static pile tests, we were able to increase the calculated pile resistance by roughly 50 per cent, leading to a significant cost reduction on the project.”
The site has a favourable soil stratigraphy for rock-socketed piles, with bedrock approximately 4-7 metres below grade. Due to the large spans and heavy column loads, the expansion had large capacity demands and, by using piles, RJC Engineers achieved the necessary capacities without excavating for broad pads and rafts. Having the bedrock so close to the surface meant that piles could be terminated at a relatively shallow depth, making them an economical choice.
Primary piling rigs used were the Soilmec SR-30 and SR-80, and a Bauer BG24H. The pile type for the project was rock socketed bored cast-in-place piles, which were drilled up to approximately 17.5 metres in total depth.
Project challenges
With a building and site area of this massive scale, construction on the BMO Centre Expansion needed to occur in blocks. While steel was being erected in one corner of the site, foundation elements were still being poured in another.
“The many piles, caps, grade beams, sumps and elevator pits became obstacles to navigating the site with equipment, especially cranes,” said Kallweit. “To deal with this, some foundation elements were poured early and buried, while others were left out to be poured later. It became a real jigsaw puzzle of site logistics.”
The project team also needed to work around existing buildings and the operating convention centre. In one case, the foundations had to be placed between two tightly spaced buildings, and access became a limiting factor.
“To overcome that particular challenge, we turned to micropiles as a foundation solution,” said Kallweit. “In that area where access was an issue, we used 20, 200-millimetre-diameter micropiles capable of supporting 675 kilonewtons of compression each. The micropiles were installed using small mobile drilling equipment within the tight confines between the existing buildings.”
Another challenge was that construction for the project happened during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, which presented significant and unprecedented budget and schedule challenges to all construction projects underway at the time. For the BMO Centre Expansion project, CMLC managed those pressures successfully, leveraging a series of budget management strategies collaboratively with its partners early in the process.
“The soil conditions for the project were nearly ideal, with tremie install methods required for approximately seven per cent of the piles due to groundwater encountered at the base of the piles.”
Sean Terrill, PCL Construction
“We had anticipated needing to construct next to a busy and operating existing BMO Centre, and were ready to do so,” said McGrath-Jukic. “The pandemic changed that requirement and, in the absence of events and crowds around the construction site, we leveraged different construction phasing. Also, due to supply chain challenges, we also ordered materials earlier on in the project than we typically would, which allowed us to manage cost increases and supply chain issues.”
Project priorities
As it is for all CMLC-managed project sites, safety was top of mind on the BMO Centre Expansion project. CMLC worked closely with its construction management teams and contractors to ensure the project was delivered in full safety compliance.
“The BMO Centre Expansion project was fortunate to have a large site without much congestion, so no special safety measures were required,” said Terrill.
Sustainability is another priority for CMLC, and the BMO Centre Expansion’s sustainability initiatives align with the City of Calgary’s Sustainable Building Policy. These initiatives include optimizing the building’s energy performance, reducing water use, managing on-site storm water, planting drought-tolerant landscaping and diverting high quantities of construction and demolition waste from the landfill. Forty-thousand tonnes of debris were removed from the site through demolition, with 94 per cent of that construction waste – nearly 34 million kilograms – diverted from landfills and recycled for use in other projects.
The sustainable principles and strategies integrated into the expansion are multifaceted, including purposeful use of natural lighting, exceeding the energy efficiency guidelines outlined in the National Energy Code for Canada for Buildings 2017, and implementing indoor water reduction measures to achieve significant savings of 35 per cent above the LEED v4 baseline standards.
The expansion also features underground cisterns to manage stormwater on-site, responsible landscaping practices that prioritize water conservation and biodiversity, and LED lighting to support energy savings and greenhouse gas management. Water-saving measures, including waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets, will decrease overall water usage by 30 per cent.
A boon for Calgary
The expanded BMO Centre is a game-changer for Calgary’s tourism and hospitality industry, and it enables the city to host a scale of events and conventions that it would not have been able to accommodate previously. The newly expanded BMO Centre helps showcase Calgary on a global stage, attracting events and visitors from not only across Canada, but around the world.
“The BMO Centre Expansion is another example of the best-in-class architecture that Calgary is becoming known for – a postcard-worthy building to host one-of-a-kind experiences and gatherings,” said McGrath-Jukic. “We’re very proud to have delivered this complex project on time and on budget in partnership with the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary, supported by the design team of Stantec, Populous and S2, construction manager construction manager PCL Construction, project manager M3 Development Management, structural engineer RJC Engineers and dozens more consultants and contractors. We couldn’t have delivered this city-building project on time and on budget without any of them.”